Mike Vallely
Mike Vallely thumb|300px|right (VAL-ə-lee; June 29, 1970(1970-06-29)) also known as Mike V, is an American professional skateboarder. Mike Vallely was born in Edison, New Jersey and resides in Long Beach, California. He is the singer in the hardcore band Revolution Mother and in the punk rock band Mike V & the Rats. He also sang for Black Flag on their 2003 reunion shows in Los Angeles. He was the singer for the part of the show where the band played the entire My War album. He is on the Element Skateboards team as a pro skater. Vallely was featured in the popular Tony Hawk's Pro Skater video game series. Vallely is also a big fan of the NHL's Anaheim Ducks, and writes a blog on the Ducks' official website. Vallely also has a wife Ann and two children, Emily and Lucy. Life and career Mike Valley was born on June 29. He started skateboarding in the autumn of 1984 and was sponsored only two years later in the spring of 1986 by Powell Peralta. That same summer he was the NSA National Amateur Streetstyle Champion and appeared on the cover of Thrasher magazine, the same time in which Valley changed the spelling of his last name to Vallely. Vallely turned pro in 1987 and in 1988 he moved to las vegas from his native state of New Jersey and his first pro model skateboard was released by Powell Peralta. In 1989 he left Powell Peralta to help form World Industries which revolutionized the skateboard industry. In 1992 Vallely married his longtime girlfriend Ann and in December of that year their daughter Emily was born. In 1995 Vallely won the first annual Skatepark Of Tampa Pro Street Contest in Tampa, Florida and competed in the first ever X Games. In 1997 Vallely traveled to China to do the very first professional skateboard demonstrations in that country. In 1998 Etnies Footwear released Mike V’s first signature skateboard shoe. In the summer of 2001 Vallely joined Tony Hawk on his Gigantic Skatepark Tour and would go on to be featured on many of Hawk’s tours and video games including Tony Hawk Underground, Tony Hawk's American Wasteland, Tony Hawk's Project 8 as well as Tony Hawk's Proving Ground. In 2002 Build Worldwide released the documentary film DRIVE detailing Vallely’s career, his passion for skateboarding and his dedication to the skateboard community. That same year Vallely formed his band Mike V And The Rats as well as recorded his first solo record with Pittsburgh singer / songwriter Joe Grushecky. In 2003 Vallely performed with Black Flag as a guest vocalist at the Black Flag Reunion Show at the Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood, California. In 2005 Fuel TV began airing Vallely’s television series, DRIVE: Notes From The Wilderness and Sportskool began airing Mike V’s Video On Demand skateboard instructional segments on digital cable. Vallely currently resides in Long Beach, California with his wife and their two daughters. He continues to pursue his music with his new band Revolution Mother formed in November 2005. Vallely recently attended a signing at the Active store in Los Angeles with Bam Margera and Kat Von D. After the signing finished, Vallely joined his band in a 1 hour performance. In 2009 Vallely appeared in the movie Paul Blart: Mall Cop as Rudolph. Vallely is an avid ice hockey fan and player. He has done charity work for the NHL and is currently working with the Anaheim Ducks to promote hockey in Southern California. Vallely is a board member of the Tony Hawk Foundation which helps fund skateparks nationwide and also sits on the board of the Patrick Kerr Skateboard Scholarship which funds college scholarships for skateboarders. Skateboard videography * Powell Peralta "The Search For Animal Chin" (1987) * Powell Peralta "Public Domain" (1988) * Powell Peralta "Axe Rated" (1988) * Speed Wheels "Speed Freaks" (1989) * World Industries "Rubbish Heap" (1989) * Speed Wheels "Risk It" (1990) * New Deal "1281" (1991) * Union Wheels "Right To Skate" (1992) * Powell Peralta "Suburban Diners" (1994) * Scenic Drive (1995) * Standard Trucks "Intermezzo" (1996) * Sponsored (1999) * A New Horizion (2000) * Black Label "Label Kills" (2001) * CKY3 (2001) * Stand Strong (2001) * 411 "A Day In The Life" * CKY4 (2002) * Drive (Notes From The Wilderness) (2002) * Grind (2003) * Mike V's Greatest Hits (2003) * Tony Hawk's Secret Skatepark Tour (2004) * Never Give Up (2005) * Thrasher "King Of The Road" (2005) * Sportskool (2005) * (2005) * Elementality Volume 2 (released online only)2 * Tom Green Show (2007) * Inside The NHL (2007) * Moments With Mike V (2007) * This is My Element (2007) * Gumball 3000 (2007) * Rubbish Heap 2 (2007) * Drive 2 Quotes "I hate to say it, but the five of us equal one Vallely, barely." Tim Glomb from Viva La Bam Category:American skateboarders